16th Annual Conference of The International Society for the Study of Drug Policy
The sixteenth annual meeting of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP) will be held in Leuven, Belgium, from 30 May – 01 June 2023, at the KU Leuven University.
The event will be hosted by RAND Europe, a non-profit and nonpartisan policy research organisation based in Brussels and Cambridge, in collaboration with the Leuven Institute of Criminology, KU Leuven.
Full conference details can be found at the ISSDP website.
About the Programme
Event Dates
Tuesday, 30 May 2023 - Thursday, 1 June 2023 |
Conference Dinner Information
This year's conference dinner will take place at De Hoorn in Leuven on May 31, 2023, from 19:00 to 22:00.
De Hoorn is located on Sluisstraat 79, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. This Leuven staple has a rich history dating back to the 18th century as the original brewer of Leuven's Stella Artois beer. Today the original copper brewing kettles can be found in what is now a comfortable and trendy gathering space for meetings and large events.
A keynote lecture will be delivered during the dinner, concluding the second day of the 2023 ISSDP.
Cost of dinner and registration to be announced soon.
Exterior of De Hoorn restaurant
Interior of De Hoorn restaurant
Scientific Program Committee
We are pleased to announce the Scientific Program Committee for the 2023 ISSDP conference:
- Laura Atuesta, PhD CIDE Mexico, Mexico
- David Décary-Hétu, PhD University of Montreal, Canada
- David Hammond, PhD University of Waterloo, Canada
- Brendan Hughes, LLM EMCDDA, Portugal
- Marie Jauffret-Roustide, PhD French Institute of Health and Medical Research, France
- Gideon Lasco, MD, PhD University of the Philippines Diliman, The Philippines
- Simon Lenton, PhD Curtin University, Australia
- Rosario Queirolo, PhD Catholic University of Uruguay, Uruguay
- Alex Stevens, PhD Kent University, UK
- Claudia Stoicescu, PhD Monash University Indonesia, Indonesia
- Rosanna Smart, PhD RAND Corporation, USA
- Margriet van Laar, PhD Trimbos Institute, The Netherlands
-
Mafalda Pardal
Research Leader, RAND Europe
European lead for the RAND Drug Policy Research Center -
Stijn Hoorens
Office Director, RAND Europe Brussels
Senior Research Leader - Emma Disley Research Group Director, Home Affairs and Social Policy, RAND Europe
-
Beau Kilmer
McCauley Chair in Drug Policy Innovation
Codirector, RAND Drug Policy Research Center
Senior Policy Researcher - Letizia Paoli Professor of Criminology, KU Leuven
Keynote Speakers
During the 2023 ISSDP participants will have the opportunity to hear from several distinguished keynote speakers, of which more will be announced shortly.
- Gideon Lasco — awarded the first ISSDP Excellence in Research Award for his paper "Drugs and drug wars as populist tropes in Asia: illustrative examples and implications for drug policy" published in the International Journal of Drug Policy in March 2020.
Hotels and Accommodation
We offer several suggestions for conference participant accommodation with a discounted rate. These options can be found here: https://book.roomtrust.com/login/3720P6Nd7dK6JVxCN6qx4N623.
Rooms are not reserved in these hotels so please make your booking in advance. Participants are not required to use these suggestions, and it remains their responsibility to choose and book accommodation.
About RAND Europe
RAND Europe is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan policy research organization that aims to improve evidence-based policy and decision making through high-quality research and analysis. With offices in Cambridge and Brussels, the organization provides research services to governments, foundations, charities, universities and companies across the globe, with a particular geographical focus towards the institutions of the European Union, European states, and the United Kingdom. RAND Europe conducts research across a wide array of policy contexts and areas, including policing, criminal justice, education, drug policy, employment, population and migration, international development, health and wellbeing, defense and security, and scientific and technological innovation. The organization forms the European arm of the RAND Corporation, sharing its mission and values.
About KU Leuven
KU Leuven is a renowned university based in central Leuven, Belgium, with 12 satellite campuses across the country. Ranked as one of the top 100 universities in the world, the university has 60,000 students enrolled across 15 faculties and departments, and provides research and teaching in English and Dutch across 3 major thematic groups: Humanities and Social Sciences; Science, Engineering and Technology; and Biomedical Sciences. The university is known for its international research output, ranked consistently as one of the most innovative universities in the world. As Belgium’s oldest university, KU Leuven is further recognized for its unique Renaissance-style architectural beauty, with its oldest buildings — such as the University Hall — dating back over six centuries to 1317.
About Leuven
The central Belgian city of Leuven is known for its rich cultural heritage and gothic architecture, with its origins dating to the 9th century. Modest in size, the city is highly pedestrianized and locations in the city center — including two UNESCO world heritage sites — are walkable. With Leuven lying just 16 miles to the east of Brussels, the city is easily accessible by a 15-minute train ride from Brussels National Airport, which itself holds many direct international connections from other major cities across Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa. As a university city with a substantial student and researcher population, the city’s economy focuses on research, particularly in the areas of health, technology, and scientific innovation. Through its university city status and industrial foundations in brewing, Leuven additionally is known for having a vibrant evening atmosphere. The city is furthermore regarded as highly sustainable, winning the European Green Leaf award in 2018 and making landmark achievements and pledges towards environmentally sustainable growth and living.
About the Town Hall and Conference Reception
The reception for the 16th annual conference of the ISSDP will be hosted in Leuven's landmark Town Hall, built over 30 years in the mid-15th century and instantly recognizable for its Late Gothic architectural style. The Town Hall sits in the Grote Markt — Leuven's main square — and is directly opposite Saint Peter's Church. The Town Hall housed administrative bodies of Leuven until 2009, and is now primarily performing a ceremonial role in the city. Registration for the reception will be possible through the ISSDP website shortly.
